The man accused of killing decorated World War II veteran Bennie Angelo in 2007 stared at Angelo’s family during his first court appearance Friday morning.

Chester R. Crank, 33, “seemed kind of smug,” said Angelo’s youngest daughter, Rebecca Angelo, who admitted staring back at Crank as she, her family and friends filled the front two rows of the courtroom.

“He looked at us the whole time,” said Shirley Hinchcliff, another of Angelo’s daughters.

Municipal Court Judge Stephen Belden kept Crank’s bond at $5 million, and set another hearing for 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. That’s when the judge will determine whether sufficient cause exists to believe that Crank killed Angelo. The case against Crank would then go before a Stark County grand jury to determine whether there is enough evidence for a trial.

Crank was arrested at 9 a.m. Wednesday at his girlfriend’s home in the 900 block of Prospect Avenue SW by Canton police, detectives with the department’s Special Investigations Unit and agents of the FBI Safe Streets Task Force.

He faces charges of aggravated murder and aggravated burglary.

Police believe Crank beat, shot and burned Angelo to death on Jan. 7, 2007, in the Endrow Avenue NE home where the 87-year-old Angelo, a Pearl Harbor survivor, lived alone. Firefighters, called to Angelo’s home in response to a fire, notified police when they found Angelo’s body with gunshot wounds. Police believe the fire was set to conceal the homicide, said Capt. Dave Davis, who heads the detective bureau.

Davis said detectives recently recovered additional evidence in the case, leading to Crank’s arrest. Investigators would not say what that evidence was.

The affidavit for the search warrant at the home Crank shares with his mother in the 2000 block of 19th Street NE was sealed by Municipal Court Judge John Poulos.

City Prosecutor Ty Hauritz said he could not comment since the information was part of the investigation.

Davis said Thursday that the investigation is continuing.

After the hearing Friday morning, Rebecca Angelo said Crank is “behind bars, and that’s where he needs to be. It’s a good day for us. It’s a good thing he is behind bars so he can’t hurt anybody else and we can’t get to him.”

She said no one in her family knew Crank.

Davis has said Crank had been a suspect since the beginning of the investigation.